In his first interview since a Rwandan-backed armed group seized its own territory belt this year, Felix Tssisekedi, president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has revealed that his country's vast minerals in the United States and Europe provided an interest in wealth. China controls it.
Congo is considered to be one of the richest countries in the world in terms of natural resources. This provides many of the world's coltans used for the power of smartphones and computers. It also holds more than half of the world's cobalt reserves used in electric vehicles.
Tshisekedi seemed to want to use this as he was trying to manage a conflict he said was similar to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Tshisekedi has solidified hopes in Western pressure on Rwanda, calculating that major investments in the Congo (including the possibility of mineral trade) will bring more security and stability to their country.
China now has far greater access to Congo's mineral wealth than the US, and the European Union is negotiating with Rwanda, with about 93500 million in exchange for access to minerals such as tin, tungsten and gold. I agree to give you 1,000 million dollars.
Tshisekedi said the minerals were plundered by Rwanda from his country, calling the European trade an “absolute scandal” and accusing the European Union of “complaining the Congo theft and looting.” Ta.
The European Union argued that the deal would lead to increased regulations and greater cooperation in the fight against dispute materials. Last week, the European Parliament called for Rwanda to cease all of Congo's interference and halt contracts until it “contains exports of minerals mined from M23 controlled regions.”
Competition for Congolese wealth has long maintained its population among the world's poorest people, and the weakness of the military makes it vulnerable to outsiders.
An armed group called the M23 launched a lightning attack in eastern Congo earlier this year. The group consists of around 8,000 men whom the United Nations have been led and funded by Rwanda.
M23 has since January captured two major airports and two major eastern cities, Goma and Bukavu, killing thousands of Congolese soldiers and civilians. Currently, they are marching towards a third.
On Thursday, the US announced sanctions against M23 spokesman and Rwandan government ministers, linking violence in the eastern Congo.
Tshisekedi, a thousand miles west of Kinshasa, the capital of the Congo, has lost his choice. Talking about a video call from his wooden panel office, he said he skipped recent peace negotiations on the conflict as Rwanda claimed to speak directly to the M23.
“I don't want to negotiate with the M23,” he said. “The M23 is an empty shell.”
Tshisekedi accused Rwanda of trying to disguise the M23 as a Congolese armed movement, saying it was the creation of the Rwandan army intended to protect Rwandan interests towards the Congo, including plundering minerals. “We would rather talk to Rwanda,” he said.
Paul Kagame, president of Rwanda, refused to fund or direct the M23. In response to a request for comment, a spokesperson for Kagame wrote that Tshisekedi was promoting a “tiring story,” saying, “please follow the roadmap decided by African regional leaders.” I encouraged him.
The efforts by these regions to resolve the crisis were amazed, and Kagame refused to attend the recent peace negotiations. The African Union's call for a ceasefire has been ignored so far.
But the crisis is a vital moment. In sanctions announcement on Thursday, the US warned of the wider regional war outlook.
This week, M23 attacked all major Congolese military positions on the road to Butembo, the northern city of Goma, according to local reports. The M23 also states that they are aiming for Kinshasa. Tshisekedi vowed to recapture Goma from the M23 “through either dialogue or military opposition.”
The Trump administration has already expressed interest in transactions that will ensure strategic mineral flows directly from the Congo, Tshisekedi said. He also promoted investments in major Congo projects, including Megadam.
At the same time, Rwanda has cultivated relationships with the West, hosting major sporting events and concerts with celebrities like Kendrick Lamar.
“Leaders need to be brave,” Tshisekedi said. “It seems to me that everyone is afraid of Kagame. Why? It surprises me.”
M23 argues that its mission is to protect one of the ethnic minorities in the Congolese.
Thirty years ago, around 800,000 civilians, mostly Tutsi, were massacred in Rwanda by members of the HUTU majority. After the genocide, many of Rwanda's Hutus fled to the Congo to avoid facing justice. M23 claims that the Tshisekedi government has not protected the Tutsi people of the Congo, known in the Congo as Banyam Range, from discrimination.
Tshisekedi denied this. “That's not true,” he said in an interview. “I was the first president of the country and I have spoken loudly and clearly to all my fellow people that the Tutsi people who speak Banyam Range or Congo-Kinyarwanda are in fact Konge.”
Kagame says the conflict in the eastern Congo must be resolved between Congolese leaders and rebels. He acknowledges that Rwandan forces exist in the Congo, but denys support for the M23. Fighters hostile to Rwanda in eastern Congo pose national security risks to their country, Kagame said.
In an interview, Tshisekedi said this was a false pretext to justify the invasion. “The truth is, they are plundering Congo's natural resources,” he says, calling Kagame “a maniac who becomes a pinnacle predator” “warlords.” According to the United Nations, the M23 already controls many of the Kortans in Congo.
So far, the US has issued Rwandan denunciations but has taken little action. On January 30, President Trump called the fighting in eastern Congo a “very serious problem,” but refused to say more.
Experts said the sanctions announced Thursday were an important and symbolic step. In particular, those against James Kabarebe, one of Kagame's oldest loyalties, who supported the previous incarnation of Rwandan-backed rebels, seized Kinshasa in 1997.
However, analysts say the US has pushed the World Bank, for example, to cut Rwandan funds, many of which are provided by the US government, bringing its favorable role as a supplier of Rwandan military into a peacekeeping mission. They say that by reviewing it, you can go further.
On Friday, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution calling for the withdrawal of Rwandan troops in Congo and the end of the M23 attack.
“The only language Kagame understands is power,” Tsushisekedi said. “Diplomacy is not part of his DNA.”
